


The forest will be our bond

by NellisTable



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Magic, McHanzo - Freeform, McHanzo Reverse Bang 2018, Old Oak Law, Orphan!Jesse, Protector!Hanzo, The Spirit of the Forest, belief in forest spirits and magic, mystic AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-07-01 11:33:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15773277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NellisTable/pseuds/NellisTable
Summary: Everything bad leads to good, but when everything is bad leads to the worse…there is no way back. Only way is to run away. But where? The world of people is forbidden and the opposite of society is loneliness...Forest is perhaps salvation, but will the Spirit of the forest allow me to cross the border? And when I cross them, will I meet the border guard?I'm afraid, but my faith is the only thing that keeps me alive. I have to flee or  they will kill me. Spirit of the forest, please. Let me across the border...





	1. Chapter 1

**_Hanzo_ **

_It's peace_. The sun is slowly going away, animals are about to rest, the night hunters are preparing for a hunt. The sun isn‘t strong enough and all of the light is hidden behind the thin leaves, and the gentle wind blows with the crowns of the trees. The stream is clean and cold, it swash gently and floats through the countryside. Ideal source of water. Everything has its order. There is nothing to disrupt it. Harmony, order, peace.

The wind brings to my face the scent of herbs and grass, which is weakly moves under its influence. Birds are singing and before sunset they make a loud orchestra as a soft lullaby for the entire forest. Fluff and leaves glide through the air and create the impression of daylight flames or summer flakes in the light. They float around me, as if they had no end. They let themselves drift with a stream of wind dyed with the scent of pollen and moss. They fall loose and never fall down.

The sun went down. My instincts are awake. My place is clear. I have to go back to the signpost. Mischievous souls might need help or a _heretics_ will try to touch and disturb the harmony that has persisted for hundreds of years. Together with me as its patron. I will not allow these monsters to damage this beauty and harmony.

_Maybe I could ask for help from fireflies…they're hungry at night..._

_No. I will not humiliate myself on the same level as those heretics. I'll take care of them myself.By these hands…_

I ask the grass to give me the feeling when someone comes in. When an intruder enters. I believe the night will be peaceful as well as the previous ones. In the last 10 years, only children have crossed the border as their parents left their native in a state of unknown and fearful. How weak and bloody are those creatures. A young human is in contact with their mother for the longest time and still they are not able to deal with it. _People are weak and evil_. I then asked the owls to bring those children back across the border to the _Under the Holy Oak_ village. Today, they should be successors and followers of the _Old Oak Law_.

 _My time has come_. I take the mask in my both hands, and touche over edges by my fingers. I take a deep breath and put a mask in the grass that I still hold in both hands.

,,Spirit of Forest, hear my call. On my knees, please, please hear me. Give me your eyes to see everything that lives in and outside of you. Give me your ears to hear all the movements of your creatures. Give me your strength to protect everything that the coward wants to desecrate. Give me your love to spread it in your territory and consolidate the bonds you have been keeping for so long. Please give me strength to protection you and your family. "

The mask starts to shine. It raises the energy of the forest. Every feature, notch, emblem...each part carries the mission, until the forest lends its warmth to it, the task starts with me. Like every night, every day for the rest of my life. The mask is filled with brilliant power and blue-green light. The same colorful flames climbed upward and returned back to the trees.

,,I promise to do what I promised. I will not betray the confidence you gave me. Thank you."

I put on a mask, behind which I hide my scars and accept the warmth that is poured into my body. It moves over body like a warm and healing wave that my body accepts as its own. My tattoo shakes. For a while it seems to have gained its own thinking. It draws on already-known strength. My body is like embracing the forest itself. It filled me with love and tenderness, which I have never known from any monster called human. Although I hate myself, I can not hide my roots. My origin has come from a human, but I don‘t want to have anything to do with him. It's...shameful what they can take, abuse or destroy just for their amusement, and they don‘t even realize the consequences that they will cause.

I'm not like them. Humen are worse than an animals. People are monsters that only take and destroy. Nothing is good for them. They want more and don‘t know when they have enough. Foolish fools and cowards. They don‘t know the cost of life, not even the forest. When they die, where will they bury them? To the ground. They become part of nature and look as they belonged to it. They just rob the nature, and when their time comes, they will lie in nature like an open arms.

I am disgusted with my roots. I would rather destroy everything that connects me with those monsters who are waiting outside the borders and in an unguarded moment disturbs the harmony I keep here _. I will not let them_. This is my home, and I will not allow anyone to disrupt what I'm keeping here. Forest magic doesn‘t belong to anyone, only to their own spirit. I'm just...the someone between the borders. Sometimes I wish to be anything other than a human.

 _But now, my time has come_. Now is the time to act. Power transmission has been completed. I am now in unity with the spirit of the forest, and with its help I will guard the forest until its strength escapes. The night has just begun, and with that my duty.

* * *

**_Jesse_ **

_I have to…escape...I can‘t...let them... get me._

,,Grab him! Thieve!"

,,Get him! He has broken the sacrament!"

,,He must die! Bring him back!"

Those bastards hunted me like animal. I was less than that. My death won‘t bring them any benefit to their livelihood. A parasite will be eliminated. _Damn_ , _I was trying to survive._

_Don‘t stop...run...run._

Blood streams escaped from the stab wounds, and I was weaker every step. I held my hip to slow the bleeding. My run resembled the lamentation of the sick animal. If I stopped, they would get me and killed. Why? Because I tried to survive!

On the brink of hunger and common sense, I resorted to the theft of something bigger and more valuable than trash. Nobody would looked and it would end up in the trash...but I made a mistake. If I were guided by sense and not by hunger, I would not be in such a big...joking...a deadly problem.

I have committed a deadly sin...and God's judgment will come to me. In the form of angry believers with forks and poodles.

According to them, I was a _heretic_ and a _pagan_. I didn‘t believe in their god or their laws. _I hate them. I believe in the Spirit of the Forest and my whole life is bound up with the Old Oak Law_. Or at least I believed and hoped that what I came up with here isn‘t just a stupid fiction or a fantasy punch that stucked in my head. Here, I was fed by the rumors of the ancient god who descended on this world to save their sheep and to lead them in the holy corral.

_Fuck! Charlatans has brought this here, and since that day they thinks it’s their own. I didn‘t. And that's how I became a pest._

In a certain sense, I have remained faithful to my order, but I didn‘t know where it came from. I didn‘t know where I took it from, where I came from. I only know that I learned it as child and believed it. _Do I believe so far?_ Origin or evidence didn‘t exist. Only I, as a devotee of an unknown religion, have been labeled as blasphemer, heretic and traitor. That's why I became a hunted animal and I had to escape from their clutches.

The power were slowly leaving me and my entire body was in one fire. I couldn‘t go any further, I had to...into the forest. With heavy footsteps and bound to the border, I fell to my knees. I was bleeding heavily, and in the distance I heard a hush of horses and an enraged crowd.

,,Spirit of the Forest. Please. On my knees, in pain, on the verge of death...I askin‘, let me cross the border and hide. I don‘t intend to hurt your forest. I have to...get out of those people's clutches. I'm their enemy and they want to kill me. Please, allow me to enter. I-I will not...make trouble...promise...I...I want to live ... "

The wind leaned back in my back. The Spirit of the Forest has given me into my kingdom. I didn‘t have much power, but I could still get up. I bumped into the stream. I fell on the floor and breathed deeply.

_I-I can not go any further. D-dying...what is...what's behind the sounds?_

From the last of the forces I stand on the tree and see the wolf lurking around. _That's my end. To be eaten by an animal...I didn‘t want such a fate. Sacred oak, please...give me a guardian who will protect me._ I take a small acorn from my pocket and throw it down to the grass. _Come on. I am not afraid of you!_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Jesse_ **

What did I do to them so bad that they hate me to the depths of their corrupt souls? I didn‘t do anything wrong. I lived on the edge of the society, fed with waste and trash. The only thing that gave me strength was my belief in the spirito f the forest. I believed that my protector would always stand by my side and protect me as my own.

I ran on and on. My whole body was screaming. I screamed myself. I lost too much blood, but my determination and fear kept me alive and held strength. Where else could I go? Where else would I feel safe than under the protection of the forest? I always felt I wasn‘t welcome in the world of humanity. My whole life I was surrounded by the warmth of magic that came from the forest and dragged me to cross the borders.

Human couldn‘t just decide to cross the borders. From this they were created. People mustn‘t enter the forest without the consent the Spirit of forest. When he walks in, he always destroys everything or he is touching or steping. The Spirit always punished them. Stolen wood unleashes without cause, and their houses fall into dust. The water they take will dissolve in steam or green and is unwieldy. The beast he hunts dissipate before he can eat it. Fruits fallen or taken from trees will change to stone. People always paid for what they did to the forest and they alway will.

I have been praying my whole life so I had zero fear of the forest itself, but I have heard the rumors that if a mortal enters the border, he can‘t always return. It's a matter of decision. Am I determined to cross the borders with the possibility that won‘t be able to cross them for the second time? Am I prepared to close my life with people and walk into a new, unidentified world that  there won’t  be escape? Will I accept the fate so that my body, rather than being buried in the village, will become a part of the land, so this way I may still give some benefit to the forest?

I only know that I don‘t want to die. And people want me to die, so I decided I wanted to live beyond the borders. If the forest  will rejects me, my fate is sealed and I don‘t have the right to live. Now I have to escape. The crowd chased me. They wanted my blood. The blood of a heretic, who was over with their confession. They won‘t get me. I believe that the forest will accept me, let me cross borders and allow me to remain safe. I don‘t know how, but the Old Oak law is with me, and I believe it is faith that will help me to be accepted. Otherwise, I have no chance to survive. I'd rather die in the forest where my senses dragged me than to die under the ruins of spoiled monsters.

I did it. Spirit of the forest accepted me and I managed to get to the stream. I lay under the oak and held my hand on a deep wound that blew blood springs. Agony was running through my body as I tried to catch my breath. In my other hand, I gripped the acorn that I have guarded all my life. It was the only proof that persuaded me of the existence of the spirit of the forest and of the Old Oak law itself. It was my charm and the only thing I ever owned. I prayed to it and asked it for strength and healing.

Instead, from the other side of stream, a wolf emerged from the thickets. Hungry. I saw on it‘s eyes and the belted fangs that it felt hungry or at risk. I was badly injured and couldn‘t hurt it. But wolf was still approaching. Wolf’s fur was clinging on it‘s back, with slow and soft footsteps with teeth bared. I had no place to run. I was looking around, but there was nothing in the vicinity that could get rid of the hungry wolf. I took a deep breath, took the agony for my own and uttered my last wish.

,,Sacred oak, please give me the guardian who will protect me." I threw my acorn in front of me, half way from the wolf. My eyes closed slowly. The last thing I saw was that the wolf stopped at the point where my acorn fell. Then I fell unconscious.

* * *

**_Hanzo_ **

The wind whispered to me that the stranger crossed the borders. Voluntarily. And he asked for permission. It hasn‘t happened in the last ten years. A foreigner has asked the forest for permission to cross the borders. I was most curious about who the stranger was. I put my palm on the grass and asked where the stranger was. Grass told me that stranger‘s footprints were near to eastern borders and ended up at the White Stream. Grass also warned me that it was feeling blood. Human blood. It could be a murderer who came here to hide or the stranger was injured. I took a deep breath, took a bow, and started out to the place where the grass had brought me.

I was hiding in branches, and from a height I looked at the strangers as he lay under the oak. He was injured. He bleed heavily and had a lot of bruising on his body. I felt from him ... joy. His blissful smile kept astonishing me. Although I was in close proximity, I didn‘t hear what he said. His lips moved rhythmically. Like he was repeating something over and over again. His left hand was hidden in his pocket, and there was something cramped in. With his other hand, he sustained the wound that bleed badly.

People should be horrified and afraid that the injuries and their end are coming. Why is this stranger enthusiastic? Why is he pleased with pleasure when his body is in severe agony?

I felt the wolf frightened by the fear of her brood. She left her brood safe and went on a survey. The stranger had a different smell so she felt threatened. Her attitude was to cause a stranger to fear to drive him away and protect her brood. But the stranger was still lying under the oak, and his smile slowly faded from his face.

_She will kill him if I won’t stop her._

I didn‘t want to shed unnecessary blood. The stranger didn‘t come here to harm anyone. He asked for permission, so he knew about the forest law. When I was ready to intervene, the stranger pulled something out of his pocket, kissed it, and threw it toward the wolf. So she stopped and looked at it. At that moment, I stumbled next to her. She knew about me, so she didn‘t move. She was still staring at the grass for the little thing. At first I calmed her. I put my hand on her fur and stroked her. I indicated to her that she and her brood weren‘t at risk. She looked into my eyes and came back to the thicket.

Then I focused on that little starnger‘s thing. It was an acorn. It was not a simple acorn fallen or taken from where any oak. This was different. It had a spark in it. Spark of an old oak. When I picked it up, it started to warm up. It was actually an acorn from an old oak. Where did he come to it? I moved closer to the collapsing stranger. I knelt to him and tried to stop bleeding.

His eyes stared at me. He was breathing heavily, and every movement had to be painful for him. I put my hand together with his acorn to his wounds and began to close his deep wound. The power of my mask overflowed through my tattoo into his wounds and slowly closed his wound. The forest sighed. Life in our neighborhood was also curious. All beasts set all their senses. They watched us spread the magic in all directions and the journey ends in the body of a stranger. The wind grew stronger, but it was warm. Around us, the forest started to grow, and new plants sprouted around us.

I closed his wound. The bleeding stopped, but in the eyes of the stranger I still saw the pain but also the spark. Who is him? Before I could ask, the surroundings of magic ceased and peace came again. The animals were lost in the woods and we were alone again.

,,A-Are you...my g-guardian?" The first words came out from the stranger's mouth. I also felt blood from them. He had to be in severe pain and his wound was bigger than I expected. I didn‘t answer him. The mask covered my face, and so would my voice. I showed him his acorn. It was pure, out of blood, and it glowed softly at the glow until it faded. ,,I-It's my talisman…you saved me...t-thank you."

His eyes faded and his body fell into my arms. He was not dead, he was exhausted. He spent too much to be able to stand up. I took the rest of my strength and got us both into my hiding place.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hanzo**

_I shouldn‘t do it. He shouldn‘t be here. I should...leave him on border. He mustn‘t stay here._

The unknown man lay calmly. I've treated all his injuries. The bigger problem was his torn torso. He didn‘t get enough food. His organs may not work properly. He had to starve for a few weeks ... or he fed something with a lack of nutrients and vitamins that are needed for the proper functioning of body and mind. Or it could have been a disease. But what kind of virus could cause such damage? No, it must have been starvation.

He had to suffer for weeks or months…How can people be so merciless? They do this to their own kind. What had this man, more than anybody else,that caused this suffering like that? He had to escape into the unknown with nothing. He was looking for his place. Did he find it here? I don‘t know.

All I thought was his malnutrition and the ability and the will to stay on his feet, to escape and to cross the border. He had my admiration. An unmistakable admiration of where his power and will got him. But I was afraid. I didn‘t know who he was. Where did he come from. The only thing that was clear, he came from the poor layer and he was the target of everything bad.

I checked his breath, injured, and put more wood in the fire. I still had his mutilated and bloody body deep in my mind. A drop of hope in his eyes. The joy that literally kept him alive. I didn‘t understand. Over the years I have seen many people with the same intentions. Enrich themself and destroy everything they've come to. This man was different. He came here to save himself. He hoped he would be saved here. He hoped that nature would protect him more than his own species.

I was amazed. But I was astounded by the only thing he had with him. The only thing he believed was that it would protect him. I left his acorn in his palm. It was certainly his talisman, but where he came to it? My curiosity exceeded the limit. I wanted to see the acorn more, but my conscience kept me back.

_It‘s his. It belongs to him. I'll ask him where he came to it when he awake. When he wakes up, he'll be hungry. I have to cook something._

Even during cooking I couldn‘t get the acorn out of my head. I had an idea where it could come from. Why through it, with the power of nature, I could keep the man alive.

Acorns are a gifts for every orphan who gets in the village Under the Holy Oak. It is an honor and a reward for any orphan who finds a new home in this village. For years I have not accompanied orphans across the border.

The acorn as a fruit of the holy oak is a protector for every devotee, and then it becomes their talisman. As the price they will always proudly respect the law.

So...this is a grown-up orphan? Do they treat them like that? Worse than to animals? They would deserve to burn or drown. Everyone. Everyone who disrespect the law and Spiritn of the forest. And all his children. Those heathens… pagans…they're worse than the killers...

The stranger began to moan with pain. Perhaps a bad dream, maybe a return of regular pain. I put my palm on his forehead. The fever retreated, but his whole body was shaking. I touched his face and laid my forehead on his.

,,Protect him, the Spirit of the Forest. Please, I’m begging you. Give this man the rest of your strength. He's one of your children. He went back to find what…those creatures couldn‘t give him."

* * *

**Jesse**

I felt warm. The warmth that spread through my body. It was like a warm embrace. I haven‘t had such a feeling for years. Something so warm and pleasant all of a sudden ... was I dead?

I slowly woke up in the dark. My eyesight wasn‘t so sharp and all the senses were disturbed. I could barely breathe without pain. Then it hit. Sharp pain in the side. I cried and didn‘t try to get up again. My thoughts were like a fog. There was something in them, but the picture was unclear. I felt myself holding my talisman. Suddenly, all my fear fell from me. I didn‘t know where I was, but I knew I was safe. The Spirit of the forest helped me.

,,You are awake."

Sounded in the dark. I swallowed hard. I pressed my acorn firmly and tried to move my head in the direction of that voice. Again I was overwhelmed with pain.

,,I recommend you not to move. Your injuries are serious."

,,Are you…the Spirit?" The figure approached me and knelt beside me. Man, but I didn‘t see his face in the dim glow of the burning hearth.

,,No. I'm not the Spirit of the Forest. I am just guardian. I protect forests and guard the borders."

_Borders. Guardian_.

,,My guardian...it was you. Right? You saved me...you saved my soul. N-Now it belongs- "

,,Shush. Quietly. You are still very hurt and weak. Calm your thoughts. Do you feel hunger or other pain?"

His voice was so delicate. I have never heard such a tender voice with such strong accent. How much I wished to see his face. From the last of the forces I tried to turn my head at least, but I couldn‘t do anything. I was too dull with pain.

,,Everything...hurts me...“

,,Therefore, please do not move. You have fought for your own life. Now you deserve rest and regeneration. Do not worry. The Spirit of the Forest has opened borders for you. You are not our enemy. My duty is to protect every living creature our Lord wants here...in his kingdom." It was like he was telling me the story. One that needs to be known to the end and all the details, but nevertheless forces me to sleep. My body was in one fire. All I could think of was a loud sigh.

_I know, I keep repeating myself. Please. Spirit of the forest, my guardian. Give me the strength to heal. To heal all my wounds, and I could also protect your kingdom._

,,What is your name, human?"

,,I've cared my name for all my life...Jesse. That's all I've got." I breathed. The acorn in my palm was pleasantly warm.

,,Where are you from?"

,,I would also like to know...behind the borders are villages, but I can’t tell you…f-from which one…I came." The guard struggled. He certainly didn‘t expect such an answer. I heard how he sighed. Then he something whispered in an unknown language. I wish I could understand him.

,,I wll leave you alone now. Rest. You need a long and painless sleep. The rest of the magic should give you a quiet night and a quick recovery. Now, excuse me, I have to keep my eyes on borders. When I return, I will feed you." Then he touched my forehead. Softly, like he was writing something by tip of his finger. Maybe a word or just a letter. Exciting wave run thru my body. I moaned quietly. Guardian slowly stood up and started to leave. From the last of the forces I stopped him.

,,W-Wait. W-What if something happens to me? How can I call you?" I was certainly desperate. Yes, I deeply was. My guardian was going to leave me in the unknown.

,,Your talisman and my mask are connected. Thanks to our Lord’s magic power. Just whisper my name to your talisman, and I will know about you."

,,Y-Your name?"

,,Hanzo..." And he disappeared in the darkness. Fatigue overpowered me. The darkness hugged me and I fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just warning...little bit NSFW...

**Jesse**

_Hanzo…_

My guardian's name. So much I wanted to see his face. The first living creature that cared about me. The first living creature, for which I was more than trash. The first living creature that protected me. The pain seemed at one point. Right into my heart. It was...strange. Only in memory of his soft voice, my heart was crying. Such a feeling ... a warm feeling. Joyful. Just a little memory and I had reason to smile. I had a reason to live.

_What happened to me?_

All the pains, except for one, faded. I tried to fall back into the realm of dreams, but _his_ voice didn‘t leave me. I kept repeating every word. Every word that has been said with incredible tenderness and intonation. I sighed.

_I'm nothing more than nothing. I'm just trash. What would I be for him? Just a dry leaf in this kingdom. He's…the guardian. His job is to protect. Now he has to ... deal  with human waste like me. Why am I so weak?_

The fire was pleasantly flaming in the fireplace, and I had the opportunity to look around the room. I didn‘t dare to sit down, but I was able to move my head without bigger pain. It was a small room. Besides me and the fireplace there was nothing. I listened to the outside. Fire was cracking and leafs were whispering. I didn‘t know if it was day or night. To be honest, I didn‘t care. The only thing I meant ... the only thing I was interested in ... the only one I was interested in ... wasn‘t here. And I mourned.

I didn‘t know why I mourned. I didn‘t even see the man, and I didn‘t want to be without him anymore. Just a few words and the whole world...the dirty, corrupted world in which I didn‘t have the place...changed. I got a reason to really live. For someone.

I pressed the acorn singly. _What the hell am I talking about here? I'm useless! He saved me because he had to! He didn‘t do it for me…he didn‘t want to deal with human nothing that he would have to bury somewhere after. For the best, beyond the borders, that I won‘t defile this forest with my decomposing body..._

I needed help. My thoughts were at the bottom. The whole mind was shaking, and I didn‘t know how to slow the flow of my thoughts. It was all feelings mixed together at once. Desire, joy, lust, hatred, fear, reluctance, anger, embarrassment...tears were dropping from my eyes. So weak, so vulnerable. In the flood of tears and bitterness I fell back into my sleep.

Even in my dreams I couldn‘t get rid of the feeling of inferiority. I trembled with fear and excitement at the same time. An unbelievable disbelief of feelings that detonated my heart so much I could barely breathe. I felt the blood flowing in me. It was swinging through my body so fast that I was forced to wake up immediately.

I was able to sit at least. All the pain and even my wounds were gone. Well, at least the pain that was associated with the wounds. Two new pains came to the surface. My heart pounded as if I had the biggest loss in my life. The bitter pain in my chest prevented me from breathing regularly. By contrast, the uncomfortable pressure in the lower part of my body was the exact opposite. It was an exciting pain that trembled with my body and longed for attention.

_The Spirit of the Forest...forgive me, but I can not ..._

I had to...have to release that unbearable pain that run in my hard cock. I took my cock to palm and with slight movements, I tried to achieve the relaxation that was holding me. It didn‘t take too long, the motions were exactly aimed, and my imagination worked with me, but I couldn‘t forgive loud laments and pleading. It got me to the edge of utter despair. I stood over the image of my guardian and his voice as if he were talking to me.

_Hanzo...Hanzo...Hanzo._

I felt disgraced. I forgave the holy ground with my filthiness. What was much worse ... I couldn‘t stop. I was surrounded by the thoughts of my guardian that I literally lost in them. 

* * *

**Hanzo**

_Jesse..._

How could this human get so deep into my mind? I didn‘t know what he was, who he was? How could he have such a beautiful face? How could he see... my scarred and burned face ... how could he keep a gorgeous smile?

_What am I thinking about?! Concentrate! Your main duty is to protect and not to ... desire. You can‘t get involved with a human! You can‘t destroy the…barrier. There is nothing more for you than this forest. You have no desire. You have no feelings. You don‘t have...anything that could attract that human._

I was desperate. My night was one big pain that didn‘t leave me alone. I still had in my mind the perfect image of the stranger as he struggles to live, and with a child's smile he offers me his soul.

_,,Jesse…“_

_That the man, who caught his attention..._

_,,That is not true…"_

_He is the one who was allowed to step in..._

_,,Silence!"_

_He offered you his body and soul..._

_,,It was not ..."_

_He is the one who brought the storm to your heart._

_,,DAMARE!"_

My heart tried to jump out of my chest. I hid myself and grieved myself in the tree crown and waited for sudden pain in my heart to leave. I wasn‘t able to move. I hid my new emotions in myself, but they wanted to go out.

_I can‘t ...I have to hide them. It's a disgrace. Me and...human. I have rid myself of my humanity centuries ago. I'm not weak! I'm not what I used to be! I'm not a huma anymore! I am_ -

_In love…_

_,,No!“_

_Just one glance..._

_,,No!“_

_Just one touch ..._

_,,No!“_

_Just one breath..._

_,,No!“_

_It was enough, and the guardina was lost on the path of knowledge ..._

_,,I didn‘t get lost! I'm not in love! I'm not a human! I have no emotions!“_

The wind leaned in my back. The mask started to burn on my face. Tears began to run over my cheeks. The beat of my own heart overwhelmed all the voices of the forest. I was lost. I wanted to be lost with him...


	5. Chapter 5

**Hanzo**

_I should go back. He will be hungry, and if not ... I can look at him at least..._

I slowly returned to my hiding place, hiding a man who caught my attention. I was sure that as an orphan he was brought into the Under the Holy Oak village, he became an apprentice, received his acorn as a talisman. At the age of majority he was sent to the world to spread the belief and ended... in that village. In the cursed village where he could lose his life. The monsters could kill him...burn on the border, drown in the river of tears or hang him. Death from the hands of these monsters was more than disgusting. They were destroying what they were afraid of. They avoid what they fear.

_I hate them...I hate them! Everyone deserves death. All. In one._

When I arrived in the hiding place, the sun was coming out. Animals were awaking from sleep, as the forest began to receive the sunshine.Master's power has left me a few hours ago. I handed it to the strangers. I didn‘t want to give it to him, but without it I wouldn’t  be able answer certain questions that bothered me in the depths of my mind.

I was overwhelmed by anxiety. How was I able to pass on the power of the Spirit of the forest alone? Ordinary man shouldn‘t have such a magical potential to be able to keep magic. Maybe I was wrong. Perhaps he had his own magical potential. But he was an orphan who loved the Old Oak law. Maybe even though everything could be ... the wearer.

With uncertainty, I walked in. The fire was slowly dying, and the stranger lay beside it. He slept, or I just wished he was sleeping. I sat down beside him. I watched him quietly. Every part of his body. I have never had such an opportunity to explore the human body. The living, breathing body of a man who had to endure much pain.

To my luck I was fascinated by something else. I took a look at his sleeping face. In his life, he received several injuries, which he still carried as small scars hidden under a dense beard that highlighted his face.

_I have to...just...a little bit._

I touched his face, his beard. It was softer than leaves, but more harsh than feathers or fluff. It was completely different than when I touched my face. It was longer and denser. Then his hair was...full of grass, leaves and dirt, but I tried to remove all of it. I didn‘t know him. I didn’t have...the courage. It was already a problem for me to take off his clothes or rather the rags that covered his skin and protected him from the sun. His body was...remarkable. Many of the scars and bruises that bore his body, on the other hand, gave him...some charm.

_I am so desperate. What am I doing here? The Spirit of the Forest must laugh at me. I kneel here on the ground and run over the ordinary man I saved...It was his wish. As a guardian, I had to._

The man was breathing quietly, but the signs of laryngeal injury were obvious. Perhaps it was the remains of a stranglehold, or of other abominable treatment and torture.

I repeated myself over and over again, but how could someone be so embarrassed about such a fascinating human being? I put my palm on my forehead and took a deep breath.

He has no pain. His mind is at rest. The body slowly heals and rests. It will take a few days to be able to stand on his feet and it will take a few more weeks to be able to live normally. Regular supply of full-bodied diets, high protein and vitamin levels, and clean water. I'll take care of him. He'll be fine and maybe... I'll learn…something.

,,I-Is that you?"

* * *

**Jesse**

,,I-Is that you?" I woke up from the heavy sleep. I felt a warm touch on my hand and forehead. I could see blurry, though my eyes slowly focused. I was scared. All this could be just a lovely dream, from which I had to wake up and face a disgusting presence again. I didn‘t want to wake up. If my guardian was just a dream, I didn‘t want to leave him. Maybe it was the death angel who was accompanying me to the other side. "I'm dead?" I sighed.

,,No. You are not dead, Jesse. However, your life functions are very weak. I will do everything in my power to restore your long-lost strength."

The guard's voice was so gentle and full of courage and strength. It was not a dream or a delusion. I still felt the touches on my body. _His touches_. I didn‘t need anything more. Just my guardian. My despair of my inferiority has returned again. The stream of tears rushed out of my eyes. I was so weak and so happy at the same time.

,,J-Jesse?! What is happening? A-Are you in pain?"

,,Don‘t leave me. Please..." I sobbed hopelessly and squeezed his hand. It was the only vain attempt to keep him there. In fact, I would do anything to stop me. But mine wounds, and my poor condition has allowed me less than a few small moves.

Hanzo sighed softly. I noticed how his lips curled into a smile. Small but gentle. He pulled my hand back. My heart exploded. I felt it. I felt someone close to me who wouldn‘t hurt me. Who won‘t drive me out. Who won‘t hate me. Who won‘t want to kill me. I didn‘t want to feel any threat. I didn‘t want to worry about my life with every coming day, night, breath. I was more than tired of it.

,,Your mind is disconcerted, Jesse. Your thoughts are full of fear and pain. You have to get rid of them, otherwise I can not help you. I will stay with you until you cross the border. As long as you are here, you are under my protection, under the protection of our Lord who cares and cares for us. You are welcome here, Jesse. No one will hurt you here. That's why I'm your guardian. I will protect you and take care of you because you have devoted your life to the Spirit of the Forest."

He smoothed my forehead and greeted me with a smile. It was a really unreal feeling. I haven‘t known such joy for all my life. The joy of being alive. The joy of breathing.

,,Silly Jesse. You don nott have to sob. Your pain will be gone. It only takes time. Tell me, are you hungry?"

,,Y-Yes. L-Little bit." My stomach made a loud approval. I haven‘t eaten for a few days.

,,Hmm. Allright then. I'll help you sit down and feed you. Hands in his lap." He slowly helped me sit down and put my hands in my lap. I couldn‘t move with them much. ,,Do not worry about anything. I will try to keep you safe. Forgive me, but for now, this food will be easy to digest. When you get up, at least mental health, I promise you that the diet will be far more nutritious.“

My first meal after so many days was a warm soup with mushrooms and herbs. It was...more than warm. Real food over those disgusting trash and garbage. I couldn‘t hold tears in my eyes. I was too embarrassed and moved by my newly acquired chance of living normally.

,,Do not cry, Jesse. Everything will be fine." Every bite was like a warm embrace in my stomach. It was too much. So good for one day and one night.

When I finished my meal, Hanzo helped me lie down again. I could have slept for a minute. What I needed more. I got the food, got the treatment, got a place where I felt safe.

,,I am going to let you rest-"

,,N-No...please, stay. Speak with me. I-I want to know so much about you and this world. Every story, every place, every living creature that lives here..."

,,But there is one thing that has to done, before anything."

,,Anything." Hanzo took a deep breath. He leaned over me. Our faces shared a little space. I felt his breath on his face.

,,You will not leave our kingdom. I will tell you everything about this place only if you voluntarily surrender everything that would entice you to cross the border. If you decide to live here, you will never be allowed to come back. I will take care of you, just like all the living creatures here. Your decision. Even life here, with me, under the protection of our Lord, or you will go back to the border, and you will never come back. "

I didn‘t have to decide at all. Beyond the borders, I had no life, no sense, no hope. Here, in the kingdom of the Spirit of the forest, I had everything. Sense, hope, life and reason. My new reason was Hanzo. My guardian, who owned my life.

,,I want you to stay. Forever. Please. Let me live here...with you. Under the protection of the Spirit of the Forest. Please.“

He pressed our forehead against each other. Something started whispering. I was hot. A warm wave came through my body. Something was happening. Then suddenly the heat stopped, and all the energy that had accumulated here evaporated.

,,Connection is done. Now we are connected. This forest has become our bond. You will never cross the border. You will become the wearer of the Old Oak Law as you were brought up and spread by the forest. Now sleep. You have a lot to learn. You need strength. Rest and I will tell you about the history of our kingdom."

And that's how my life began as a wearer of the Old Oak Law, alongside the guard and border of the forest. It was like the most perfect dream I ever dreamed of. I could finally start living. I could finally be important to someone. Finally, I found my reason to live. Everything I wanted was accomplished.

Wounds slowly but surely heals. Hanzo helped me to pick up the weight so I was able to work normally after a few weeks. Normally breathe and move. I spent days and nights with Hanzo, then I fell into a heavy sleep because my body was still weakened. I slowly got used to a new way of life. But it was guaranteed that way of life I was looking for. Everything had its order, its rules, and my belief was real. The Old Oak Law existed, and I became the wearer. Everything I believed was true from the beginning.

In conclusion, I had everything I wanted. Trust in the man who trusted me, and he supported me in my faith and helped me to spread beyond the unknown boundaries. I loved my faith and him.

_My guardian._


End file.
